Noise cancelling and white noise generating headphones have become popular in the last 10 years for actively controlling the output of headphone sound. In particular, noisy environments, such as airplane travel environments, demand active control over audio output in headphones in order to dynamically adjust to varied user environments. However, actively controlling headphone output requires electronics powered within the headphone system. Currently, such electronics cannot be powered by the audio signal that is received by the headphones without unacceptable degradation of the audio signal so such headphones incorporate either a separate power supply, necessitating a separate power wire, or a good set of batteries.
Batteries in headphones add weight and either must be replaced with new batteries or replaced with freshly recharged batteries. Some headphones have attempted to reduce the weight of battery load by using smaller batteries, but this necessitates more frequent chargings, and less available power. And while having a separate power line for headphones is possible, the additional wire is usually unacceptable to the user.
In concert with the advent of powered and active headphones, cell phones and mobile devices, like the iPad and iPod, have become much more powerful, both computationally and in battery strength. Applications can now be written for these platforms in a matter of days with reliable outcomes. Moreover, the dominant music source for music entertainment today is a user's mobile phone, or similar mobile device. Coincidentally, the protocol or format for outputting music through an audio port in a phone or mobile device is standardized. In other words, even though some variation in diameter still exits for mobile device audio ports, the pin configuration and electrical design specifications are universally accepted.
Hence, what is needed is a system and method for using the standardized audio output port in mobile electronics, such as a cell phone, to transfer power to a pair of audio headphones without interfering with the primary purpose of those headphones—for faithful reproduction of music and other audio signals coming from the mobile device.